Explosions

Twenty minutes later the boys were in separate rooms being checkout and the little girl was taken from me and whisked off to infant care. Rob was in a room with his girlfriend. They were talking in hushed whispers while I waited outside with Ant. He kept stealing glances at me, “What?” I asked.

“Dad, always looks good on you.” He sighed, “But you can’t keep them all Nox. I know you want to save every kid who had even a similar life to yours, but you can’t keep them all.”

“What do you want me to do then? Let them die? Let them grow up hating adults and rules and just about everything else because no one cared enough to show them it’s all for a reason?”

Ant smiled. “I expect you will take mother’s offer of making TCP Investigations more than investigations. TCP Home for Wayward Children has a nice ring to it. And The TCP Resort, now open to the public.”

“What do you mean?”

Ant laughed, “Nox, the Night Life building was created for supernatural creatures of all kinds to live a human life. We all want to blend in. Some of us can’t do that. The Resort is meant to take care of our wayward individuals. But since you have arrived we have more non-vampires in care than anything else. You have this knack for inspiring more. You did it as a kid with Dorian. He was just some lacky who did what he was told. Now, he’s second to the head of the entire academy because he had you as a muse. Jason Hill the same. He used your weird ass theories and is becoming a great teacher to young kids in the Venatori. If he’d only picked up your empathy towards the other races too. Matt did that tho. And then there’s me. I opened the Resort for vampires. You are here a few months and it’s already seeing people out the wazoo. We are making more money just by your very existence. Mother will give you more floors. The one below us is perfect for the Home for Wayward Children and the School for the Gifted. Shit Nox, you are the Ascendant, people will come far and wide to come learn something you endorse even if they don’t believe in it.”

“I can’t run a business Ant.”

He grinned at me, “No, but we can fix that. Just let me talk to mother and Larry and Terry will get on it. We have the funds. Don’t worry about that.”

“Your mother can’t keep paying for everything.”

“She’s not. Old money is a donation Nox. Mother expects nothing back.”

“Just a loyal pet.” I sneered.

He laughed, “You are as much a pet to my mother as my mother is a pet to you. Nox the money is just sitting there – doing nothing. It’ll sit there and do nothing for eternity if you don’t use it. Mother protects her own first. You, are her own. You are my Chevalier. You are my Master. There is nothing more family than fucking marriage Nox.”

“I’m not marrying you.” I said with a straight face.

Ant rolled his eyes. “Fine, be that way.” He sighed and leaned in and pressed a kiss to my temple. “Fuck Nox. We can’t be tied any tighter. Let me do this. Because you bring home three more kids and your family is going implode.”

I shrugged. “No it might explode though.”

My words were like an echo in the room when the ringing stopped. A block away there was a loud explosion. I was already moving when Ant grabbed my shoulder. “I’ll do that, you have to go eavesdrop on a client. Darwynn will go with you.”

I only nodded and headed the other direction. I didn’t know where Darwynn was but I assumed Ant had already informed him my destination.